On the 4th of June an order was received carrying everything to the
right; and Rosser’s brigade moved out to “Old Church,” near the
Pamunky, where they found a force of Yankees behind breastworks,
which the General ordered White to charge. The order was promptly
obeyed without dismounting, and the Yankees fled precipitately from
the rather novel scene of horsemen leaping their works, and using
both steel and ball in their curious evolution, and the General’s
wild “Hurrah for the Comanches” was re-echoed from the whole brigade
who witnessed the operation.
On the 8th, an order to prepare three day’s rations, was sent around
to the different commands; and many were the rumors of what
Sheridan’s cavalry was going to do on the Virginia Central Rail
Road. But nothing positive was learned as to the destination or
object of the expedition for which Hampton was preparing, but all
the Valley brigade concurred in the opinion that anything was better
than campaigning in that hateful pine country, where no glimpse of
the Blue Ridge could be had.
At daylight on the 9th, the command left the camp at Atlee’s
Station, and took up the line of march along the Rail Road,
encamping that night at Beaver Dam, where they drew four days
rations of bacon and “hard tack,” making six days on hand, and on
the 10th, at dawn, they moved slowly towards Louisa Court-house,
where they arrived about 2 o’clock, P. M., and learned that Sheridan
was marching with his whole force along the north bank of the North
Anna river, and aiming for the junction of the Rail Roads at
Gordonsville, where he was going to whip Hampton, and then branch
off towards Lynchburg to co-operate with Hunter, who was moving his
army from the Valley to take that city, and thereby cut off a large
portion of Lee’s supplies, compelling him to give up Richmond, and
either surrender or retreat along the Weldon Rail Road into North
Carolina.
How all this information was obtained, nobody could tell, but nearly
all the men accepted it as a fair statement of the problem to be
worked out, and it will be observed that the success of the whole
train of operations depended upon Hampton’s receipt of the
prescribed whipping at Gordonsville, of which his “people” were
extremely doubtful, for “old Wade” had never been whipped yet, nor
did they think Sheridan was the man to do it, even though he had
command of all the cavalry in the United States.
The night of the 10th Gen. Hampton’s own division, now commanded by
Gen. Butler, went into camp near Trevillian Station, on the Rail
Road, and in the early morning Gen. Rosser moved his brigade up to
the road leading off to the left into the Green Spring Valley—the
most lovely of all the beautiful Virginia country. Here he made a
detail from the several regiments, and sent it, under command of
Lieut. Col. Ball, 11th Virginia, towards Gordonsville, while with
the brigade he halted very quietly, and waited for whatever duty
circumstances might bring him. It may not be amiss here to give a
statement, as the writer understood them in the light of after
events, of General Hampton’s plans, and his reasons for them, as by
this means the reader will better understand the operations about to
be described, and which had such a mighty influence in prolonging
the defense of the Confederate Capitol. In the first place, then,
Gen. Hampton’s force was vastly inferior to Sheridan’s, not only in
point of numbers, but in arms and equipments.
The United States cavalry was splendidly armed with the improved
repeating rifles of Spencer and Henry, besides their revolvers,
while the Confederates, as a general thing, carried only the
ordinary Sharpe’s carbine and sabre, and many of them had nothing
better than the common infantry musket; in fact, Rosser’s brigade
was the only one in the division thoroughly armed with revolvers and
improved carbines, and these they had captured from the enemy, as
the Confederacy was too poor and unskilled in the manufacture of
arms to keep pace with their wealthy and ingenious opponents, who
also had open ports through which to receive the best supplies of
the Old World, and money to buy what they wanted.
In view of all this, it was General Hampton’s policy to fight the
battle in a position of his own selection, where, in some measure,
the superiority of his antagonist could be matched by strategy; and
after choosing that position, the next thing was to toll the “blue
birds” into his trap, and in order to show how this was done we must
go back to Rosser’s brigade, which we left above the junction of the
Green Spring Valley road with the Rail Road, while Young’s Brigade
lay some distance below. The Yankees crossed the river and came down
heavily on Young’s people, capturing a great many and stampeding the
remainder with the exception of one regiment which drew up in line
some distance from the road and watched the Yankee chase after their
comrades. As soon as the attack on Young’s men was known, Rosser
started his brigade at a gallop to meet them, and arriving at the
Green Spring road, found the Yankees loading their prisoners in
captured ambulances while all along the road the victorious
blue-jackets were chasing and “gobbling up” the scattered
Confederates, and right here among the ambulances the _fight_
commenced; Rosser’s boys going in, as the General said, “very
heavy,” the Yankees breaking and trying to escape, while Young’s men
sent up mixed yells of "don’t shoot this way," and "hurrah! you ’uns
has saved we ’uns agin." Pretty soon the tide was turned, and in a
perfect whirlwind of dust and smoke the “Comanches” pushed hotly
after the retreating enemy, many of whom they captured and sent to
the rear, and in the chase they passed the regiment before spoken
off, still standing quietly in line apparently interested in the
view they had of the little “mill” going on around them, but having
no inclination to become mixed up with it.
In the chase, many of the Yankees broke into the woods on the right
of the road and endeavored escape, in consequence of which many of
White’s men made a corresponding movement in order to catch them, so
that the battalion was soon very much reduced, and on reaching a
hill about a mile down the road and finding, as they supposed, a
Confederate battery on the right in full play and apparently
unsupported, the Colonel resolved to form his men along side of it,
as a large number of the enemy were discovered in the wood below
him, and a strong force posted behind a brick-kiln to the left, and
with this view, he ordered the plank fence on the right of the road
to be broken down; at the same time starting Irish Pat, of Company
C, up the road in charge of a wagon and team which had been deserted
by somebody just at this point. The battery was not more than two
hundred yards away and the force behind the brick-kiln was every
moment growing stronger, all of which made the Colonel more
impatient for the fence to be opened, but it was a strong one and
not easily broken, and while thus engaged, General Hampton galloped
over the hill exclaiming, “Colonel White, what are you going to do?”
“Going to support that battery,” said the Colonel. "Get away from
here, Colonel, it’s a Yankee battery," replied the General, and
immediately the Colonel commenced to “get away.”
Marching slowly back over the hill we found the brigade forming in a
field to the right, and Chew placing his artillery in position just
above them. Farther along, and just where we were to leave the road
to join the brigade, lay a wagon that the Yankees had cut down, and
out of which a barrel of apple-jack had rolled. Three dismounted men
were at work on it trying to fill their canteens, and as the head of
White’s column passed it, Captain Myers, who was just at the head,
with Lieutenant Marlow on his right, Orderly Sergeant Bennett on his
left, Will Edwards and Frank Lee immediately behind him and the
bugler just before him, turned to Will Edwards and said, "Will,
you’d better get Frank Lee’s canteen and fill it there, hadn’t you?"
This was in allusion to Frank’s solemn resolution not to drink any
more, caused by some of the boys having fooled him into taking too
much a short time before. The words were scarcely uttered when a
shell from the battery they had just left exploded within a yard of
the Captain’s head, and leaving him untouched, mortally wounded poor
Will Edwards, terribly mangled Ed Bennett, causing him to lose a
leg, wounded Lieutenant Marlow, and cut Crone Phillips (the bugler)
very severely in the arm and side, besides killing one and wounding
badly two of the dismounted men at the barrel, killing Phillips’
horse and badly damaging that of Sergeant Bennett. Seldom has such
execution been done by a single shell, or such an escape made as
Myers.
As may be supposed, the calamity caused great excitement for a short
time, and it was with difficulty that order was maintained under the
incessant fire which now poured in upon them, but pretty soon the
battalion formed her line, Major Ferneyhough displaying great
coolness, as did all the officers and men who were left. The scene
was one of wild confusion, shells and grape-shot whizzing and
howling all around, riderless horses dashing frantically over the
field, and ambulances rattling past at a gallop with their freight
of wounded men screaming in agony, while high above all other sounds
boomed and crashed the contending batteries; but amid all this the
Major turned to count the men in ranks, and Orderly Sergeant
Campbell, of Co. F, who had been severely wounded in the arm by a
grape-shot while assisting to align his company, turned coolly to
Captain French saying, “Captain, I am wounded and would like to have
permission to go to the rear,” which was of course readily granted,
but not many waited to ask permission to retire after being wounded;
and this instance shows that panic did not reign entirely among the
“Comanches” even under circumstances most calculated to inspire it.
The whole brigade had by this time retired to a more sheltered
position beyond the woods, and now the Colonel ordered his battalion
to fall back to the woods, which it did very quietly, and just here
was the first actual view of flying cannon-shot we had ever
_enjoyed_. A heavy battery beyond the Rail Road was throwing solid
shot directly across our line of march, one of which, striking the
solid ground the eighth of a mile to the right, bounded with a
whirling motion just in our front, and so close to the Colonel’s
horse that all who saw it were sure it would strike him, but it did
not. After halting awhile near the woods, and being still in range
of the grape, we were ordered to retire to the position of the
brigade, where the battalion formed in front of the 12th regiment,
and here we witnessed another freak of a round-shot which struck in
front of the battalion, bounded over it, and striking again, went
over the 12th, and from its third strike made another jump, clearing
the led horses as it did so.
The operations of the day were evidently against the Confederates,
and the men were blaming Hampton for allowing his men to be beaten
in that way, by brigades, but he was working out his problem and
baiting his trap for to-morrow, but some of his bait came near being
carried off, for the enemy entirely surrounded Col. Chew, who
immediately began fighting his guns all around him, and made his
position so near “red-hot” that neither friend or foe could reach
him, until without difficulty he could limber up and move back to
his people again.
Soon after this the enemy occupied the ground from which Chew had
retired, and began to advance cautiously upon the woods where Rosser
had his dismounted men, and in the fight which ensued the General
was severely wounded in the leg and compelled to leave the field.
The command of the brigade now devolved upon Col. Dulaney, of the
7th regiment, and the fighting became stubborn for the possession of
the woods; the enemy using artillery sparingly, and the Confederates
entirely deprived of the aid of theirs because the situation of the
ground would not permit its use without damaging their own men as
much as the enemy.
The “Comanches” lay at the mouth of the Green Spring road,
dismounted, to avoid the storm of bullets that whistled over them,
when Col. Chew rode past them a short distance to see if he could
plant his guns there, and Col. White rode up by his side. Just then
the Yankees threw some shells which exploded immediately _at_ them,
and killed Chew’s horse, but the cast-iron artilleryman didn’t
change his countenance in the least; and Maj. Thompson came prancing
up to have a look too, when a shell burst almost in his face, but
Thompson only laughed, and giving his hand a flutter in the white
cloud of smoke, exclaimed, "Oh! but don’t that sound wicked?"
About 5 o’clock Maj. Ferneyhough took the first squadron on a scout
up the Rail Road, and on his return found a battery posted at the
forks of the road, which, after our previous artillery experience,
we proceeded to inspect closely, and it, too, proved to be a Yankee,
so branching off to the right, we gave it as wide a berth as the
timber would let us.
It was now past sunset, and Sheridan had succeeded, with his whole
force, in driving two of Hampton’s brigades from their position, and
himself occupying, at dark, the same line they held at daylight; but
thus far he was successful, and Gen. Hampton knew that he would
follow it up to-morrow. But the two Generals had very different
ideas about the day’s work; Sheridan _supposing_ the battle was
over, and Hampton _knowing_ that it had not been fought yet.
About dark the Confederates retired to their camp on the Green
Spring road, and rested securely until morning, when, without any
hurry at all, they fed their horses, got breakfast, and prepared for
the business of this bright and beautiful Sunday morning in June. A
shower of rain had fallen during the night, and the stifling dust
was nicely laid, so that, with the exception of fighting, whatever
they had to do, could be performed in comfort.
Shortly after sunrise White’s battalion marched down to the line
which Gen. Hampton had fortified, and found the dismounted men
quietly lying behind the hastily thrown up piles of rails which
stretched along the side of a hill that rose gradually from a creek,
both flanks protected by heavy woods with thick undergrowth, and the
country in front perfectly clear as far as their rifles would reach.
The artillery was posted on the high ground along the road, and
could command fully half the circle around them, in fact, it was a
splendid position in which to receive an attack; but Sheridan did
not seem to be in any hurry to break the glad Sunday quiet of the
Valley, and hardly any firing was heard until after 12 o’clock.
The “Comanches” had been ordered to the extreme right of the line,
on vedette duty, and were occasionally annoyed by Sheridan’s
sharpshooters, but nothing serious occurred until about 4 o’clock,
when the Yankees were discovered advancing in heavy lines,
dismounted, on Hampton’s left, where all of Butler’s big “new issue”
regiments were stationed, and almost immediately the artillery
opened on them; but that was nothing to the hail-storm of lead that
fell upon them from the “new issue.” Those raw men didn’t know
anything at all about being whipped, and had no idea of anything but
killing all the Yankees in sight, to which interesting occupation
they bent all their energies, and made their rail piles look as if
they were on fire, so incessantly did they burn their powder. In a
very short time the first assault was repulsed, and the “new issue”
didn’t really know they had been fighting; but other attacks
followed in quick succession until about dark, when every man in
Sheridan’s army had been whipped, and his whole force was in full
retreat, their ambulances, wagons and demoralized troops rushing
pell-mell along the road which ran within one hundred yards of Col.
White’s position, and every moment the shells would crash from
Chew’s guns right among the yelling, panic-stricken fugitives,
making it a regular “Bull Run” on a small scale.
Col. White and his people moved up as close to them as the shells
would permit, and the Colonel conceived the idea that with four
hundred dismounted men he could capture the whole roadfull, but
after sending repeatedly to Col. Dulaney for the required force,
that officer finally sent him forty-two men, whom White sent back in
disgust and gave up the project.
By nine o’clock everything was quiet along Hampton’s lines, and the
utterly routed and defeated army of Sheridan was in full retreat
towards Grant’s headquarters, where he published to the world that
he had whipped Hampton’s cavalry, driving it to Gordonsville, but
finding a heavy force of infantry in the entrenchments at that place
had given up the pursuit.
The literal fact in the case was, that Sheridan had been most
splendidly outgeneraled, and most terribly beaten by half his
number, and not a solitary infantry soldier was engaged in the
fight, nor did he get in sight of Gordonsville, but no one blames
him for _thinking_ that he met infantry, because the “new issue”
certainly did _act_ infantry up to nature, but they were raw
recruits, and had never been under fire but once before, while
Sheridan’s were all veteran troops. Pollard, in “The Lost Cause,”
makes the same unfounded assertion, that Sheridan was “repulsed by
infantry in the rifle-pits,” but it is probable he drew his
information from the official report of that General, instead of the
one made by General Hampton.
During the fight of to-day, Lieut. Nich. Dorsey, of Co. B, who had
been a prisoner, closely confined in Fort McHenry for several
months, reported to the command for duty, having made his escape by
cutting through the slate roof of his prison with a barlow knife,
and at once assumed command of his company.
Early on the morning of the 13th, the army of Hampton started in
pursuit of the Yankees, and about 3 o’clock came up with their rear
guard at the North Anna, when some skirmishing took place, but the
enemy moved rapidly, and could not be brought to a stand long enough
to make a fight of it, and at night Hampton’s men went to the Rail
Road, where they drew three double handfuls of corn for their
horses, which was the first grain they had eaten since the 8th. In
the morning the pursuit was continued through Caroline county, but
Sheridan marched rapidly, taking every horse in the country he
passed through, and killing his own as fast as they gave out. It was
estimated that in his retreat of one hundred miles his army left, on
an average, twelve dead horses to the mile; that besides his losses
in horse-flesh at the battle, twelve hundred were shot, by his
order, on his retreat; but he took quite that number from the
citizens along his route, and in a manner that no other man than a
Sheridan or Sherman would have done.
On the 16th, Col. White started with a picked party to intercept a
courier with an escort of thirty-eight men, taking dispatches from
Sheridan to Grant, but failed to catch them, although he had a brush
with a party from the 6th Pa. Cavalry, in which he captured several
prisoners and horses, and rejoined the battalion on the 19th, near
the White House on the Pamunky.